The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-05-25
MIR. JULIAN'S WORK.
How he Has Warred Upon the Land Thieves
Of New Mexico.
A Beautiful Region. Which Has Been Re-
farded In Development by Organ
lied Republican ROguery.


eraI of New Mexico, has returned to this
city on three-week's furlough. He is en-
joyiDg good health, and preserves all his
old Vigor. A Sentinel reporter met him
yesterday, and the conversation naturally
turned upon New Mexico and the affairs of
the Territory.
1.-THE Sentinel's readers" said the re-
porter, would be glad to have a word from
you with regard to New Mexico-its
climate, its people, its peculiarities and the
course of latter.dsy politics in the Terri
II think the climate of Santa Fe," re-
sponded Mr.. Julian, sis the finest on the
continent. 1t has great advantages over
other localities, being about 1000 feet
mountains some 5000 feet higher, thus
protecting it from the winds and storms of
the winter, and making life enjoyable at
every season of the year. The agriculture
of New Mexico is confined mainly to the
valleys which form a very small per-
centage of the surface OF the
Territory. Irrigation, however, will largely
extend this tlllable area, while, as grow
ing country, it ranks among the very first.
The great interest, however, lies in its
mineral wealth, which is being rapidly
developed. The work of my Office relative
to the survey of mineral claims enables me
to speak from facts. These mining oper-
atoms, however, are evidently as yet in
their infancy, and they give promise OF
very great future at no very distant date.
"The matter of the most absorbing in
terest," continued Mr.. Julian, Sin New
Mexico is the strife about land titles.
When we acquired the Territory,
in 1S4S, it was covered by Next
can and Spanish grants sggregat-
ing about 100000 acres or about two
thirds of the land surface of Indiana. By
our treaty with Mexico the United States
became obliged 20 recognize these old
titles whenever they were found valid &C
cOTdiDg to Mexican and Spanish law. In
1854 Congress created the oficice Of Sur
veyor- for New Mexico and made
it his duty to pass upon the validity of
these titles, subject to the final action of
Congress, and it so happened that
through the influence of the mouopolists
and trsffickers in these grants, the Sur
veyor-Generals office became mere bu-
reau in the service of rougery, instead of
the agent and representative of the Govern
ment. Under instructions from the Gen.
eral Land Office, which were suggested by
| my examination of these cases, it became
my duty to overhaul the work of my
predecessors in Office for the pas. thirty
| years and the results have been
| perfectly startling. Forged and fraudulent
| titles were pronounced valid, and eXtrav
/
very large areas of land were approved, so
that by these methods from s, 100000 TO TO-
| 600 600 acres have been stolen from the
/ Government and Incorporated under
| the forms of law. The claimants of these
| grants have been the masters of the Terri
tory. They have not only ruled the Sur.
veyor. Generals and their deputies, but
have very largely controlled the Land De-
| partment of the Government. This has
| hoon oil lxyf rno M oH nj AZ
tions of Grant and Hayes. These
claimants have also prowied around
the committees of Congress and beguiled
it into the approval of the worst rascalities
of the Surveyor-Generaps Office and the
General Land Office. An illustration of
this is found in the famous Maxwell land
| grant case. Under the Mexican law which
governed it it could not exceed eleven
| square miles, or about As 600 acres. But
| Congress was prevailed upon to confirm it
with the exterior boundaries named in the
grant, as the Supreme Court has Just des.
cided, and thereby cheated the public
| dymain out of about 1, $50, 600 acres. The
power of these grant owners has
been phenomenal and utterly disastrous to
! the Territory. But under the adminlstra-
ton of President Cleveland the work of re-
form has been vigorously inaugurated,
| through which restoration will be made of
our stolen public domain and the country
opened to actual settlement and tillage.
Four years more of the rule of organized
land stealing would have made reform
practly impossible. Honest m, would
have been obliged to leave the Territory
or turn rogues. Bnt all that is now
wanted is continuance of the work 20
well begun by the Lind d plrtment until
land titles shall be definitely settled, which
can not fail to bring about the regulation
of the treaty by giving the people small
farms, closely associated communities and
thrifty tillage in place OF the large hold
ings, wastefuI agriculture and social stag
nation which have so long afflicted New
| Mexico"